Alright, besides the whole celebration thing..I actually have a few things to say. First off, I am so proud of her for freeing herself from the pain of being in the closet. She said in her speech (which was so beautiful I could..and did..cry) that the media puts "crushing standards" on her. Not to mention any other gay actors and actresses out there. Of which I can understand, because coming out of the closet is not easy for anyone. Believe me, I would know.

I am also a lesbian, but hey not about that right now.

Hollywood can be very discriminating against the LGBTQ community. Being gay can really put a dent in someone's career, and we all know for a fact that the media will try to either censor it or make us believe that it doesn't exist. When you're famous you're always told what to do. How to live, where to be, what to say, and who to be. She was probably so tired of having to hide who she actually is from all of us. She didn't lie to us, she wasn't dishonest, she had to hide because the fear of social standards of Hollywood and the world. She probably had to hide to do what she does best. Act. Now, forgive me if I'm rambling.

If I've gotten a bit wordy there, I apologize. Anyway, I had an idea to show our EPO pride and support for her. You know how on the homepage, in the upper left hand corner you will see the Canadian flag and German flag (and all the links to Facebook, Twitter, etc.) Well, what if we put an LGBTQ flag up there too? It's nothing big, and it will fit right it. It will show our support to Ellen, but to all LGBTQ people who dwell on here.

We here on EPO are a very welcoming group. We don't discriminate, reject, or shun out any of Ellen's loyal fans. This place is a safehouse, and I can honestly tell you that it has become such for me. Just an idea, but what do you all think?

I think for the rest of the week it's a good idea but then after that perhaps really not so. It seems a bit defining you know; 'why is that flag up there? - 'cuz ellen is gay.' I'm open to debate here, you've probably considered these things more than I, but we all know the coming months are gonna bring a deluge of irritating and unhelpful media taglines and reportage: "Here's our latest interview with gay actress Ellen Page" "The new X-men movie stars Hugh Jackman, lesbian Ellen Page, Patrick Ste...."

All for wanting to show support for those who come here but if you do it for one group, do it for all I guess.

CommanderKool wrote:Alright, besides the whole celebration thing..I actually have a few things to say. First off, I am so proud of her for freeing herself from the pain of being in the closet. She said in her speech (which was so beautiful I could..and did..cry) that the media puts "crushing standards" on her. Not to mention any other gay actors and actresses out there. Of which I can understand, because coming out of the closet is not easy for anyone. Believe me, I would know.

I am also a lesbian, but hey not about that right now.

Hollywood can be very discriminating against the LGBTQ community. Being gay can really put a dent in someone's career, and we all know for a fact that the media will try to either censor it or make us believe that it doesn't exist. When you're famous you're always told what to do. How to live, where to be, what to say, and who to be. She was probably so tired of having to hide who she actually is from all of us. She didn't lie to us, she wasn't dishonest, she had to hide because the fear of social standards of Hollywood and the world. She probably had to hide to do what she does best. Act. Now, forgive me if I'm rambling.

If I've gotten a bit wordy there, I apologize. Anyway, I had an idea to show our EPO pride and support for her. You know how on the homepage, in the upper left hand corner you will see the Canadian flag and German flag (and all the links to Facebook, Twitter, etc.) Well, what if we put an LGBTQ flag up there too? It's nothing big, and it will fit right it. It will show our support to Ellen, but to all LGBTQ people who dwell on here.

We here on EPO are a very welcoming group. We don't discriminate, reject, or shun out any of Ellen's loyal fans. This place is a safehouse, and I can honestly tell you that it has become such for me. Just an idea, but what do you all think?

I'm agree with your thought, but If I can say, I also think that luckily the world comes to change. Now, we are in 2014 and not in '70 and I think that the walls of prejudice are falling, and in Hollywood there are many actress/actors gay that have a very brilliant career, like Jodie Foster for example.
Of course, many guys in love are, a little bit, disappointed. But I also think that if you really love a person, you are with this person in all decision of her/his life. It's my opinion and independently of the sexual tastes, the real love don't watch this.
So, guys, don't be sad

Actors are different. They have to disappear into their roles on the big screen. And like it or not, most studio executives are going to take a long pause before hiring a gay actor, especially when that actor is young and maybe hasn’t already created a hetero image that sticks in people’s brains. Most people wouldn’t blink at seeing Victor Garber with a wife on screen. They might not feel the same about Jim Parsons.

It don't see how it is different with actors. Where is the problem? Why is it a problem at all? Only because they have to pretend to be someone on screen they are not? Isn't that their job? Is it really breaking peoples perception of a movie or heterosexual character, if they know the actor or actress is gay?
I didn't hear any complaints about a "gay Magneto" or "Gandalf the Gay", because it is no problem. It doesn't matter if the actor is gay or not. Maybe most people didn't even know that Ian McKellen is gay too, as he had his coming out about two decades ago.

Actors are different. They have to disappear into their roles on the big screen.

If that is a problem, that gay actors play heterosexual characters, there would be problems with every actor in every role, like Ralph Fiennes playing Amon Göth in Schindler's List.
Like people having problems with him playing a Nazi because he is not a Nazi. Or they could not believe his performance playing a German character because he is an Englisch actor or something like that.

Sorry if I missed the point, but I had to get this off my mind.

Last edited by WhiteGlint on Feb 20, 2014 1:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

To me, the sad thing about the speech is that Ellen said some very great things, very inspiring and thought-provoking. Things many people should do or at least think about.
But almost everybody focuses on one half-sentence. A few words that aren't even that important to the message she tried to convey.

Anyway, I joined the standing ovation, in my living room, by myself, must have looked weird.

plexus wrote:To me, the sad thing about the speech is that Ellen said some very great things, very inspiring and thought-provoking. Things many people should do or at least think about.
But almost everybody focuses on one half-sentence. A few words that aren't even that important to the message she tried to convey.

Anyway, I joined the standing ovation, in my living room, by myself, must have looked weird.

I was happy to hear her go ahead and mention the jogging pants thing. I, personally, love the way she dresses. It suits her. She looks great no matter what she wears.

It really helped me that she came out. I don't always open up so much about that unless I am with other gay people, but it certainly made my day she came out. I will admit crying like a baby during her speech because I was remembering how hard it was for me to come out and remember some of the horrors of being in the closet. It is very hard in this very straight oriented world to play that game where you hide who you really are and who you really love because you may face everything from violence to religious condemnation from some religious people, not all, but some. No matter where you live, you have to face horrors like that, as a gay person, even before you come out. Once you come out, there is a frenzy of scorn, ridicule, and, conversely, varying degrees of support from different groups of people. Afterwards, though, it does get easier when you can just be you and be honest about who you are. I hope Ellen can find happiness and peace since coming out. Being in the closet is demoralizing, humiliating, and depressing. Coming out can be very scary, but once everything settles down, it can be freeing.

I really was also glad she mentioned how horrible people are to one another. If more people would want the world to be like Ellen seems to want it to be, it would be a much nicer place, with less horrible-ness. That would have to be a good thing. I love the way she wants things to be and wish more people would have listened to all of the important points she brought up and put it into practice. The world really would be a better place.